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A flight sim, eh? Sounds exciting. What could it involve? Taking control of a rugged jet fighter on a one-way, suicidal ticket to destruction? No? All right then, can I settle for a quick hostage rescue using an armoured Gunship? Well, not exactly - it's actually delivering letters using a little airplane!

Solo Flight aims to capture the essence of America in the 1930s, when small light aircraft (the Ryan S. T. to be precise) were used for mail delivery. Of course, in those golden days, travelling cross-country by air was particularly dangerous. the plane was prone to mechanical failures, and there was the added risk of being blown off course by ever-changing cross winds.

Just as well, then, that Solo Flight includes a comprehensive practice mode to get used to the plane. You can try Clear Weather Flying, Landing, Contest (a multi-player game, the winner being the one with the best landing), and IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) where you must rely on your instruments alone because of low cloud. You're also accompanied by a flight instructor who gives assistance via text messages and (gulp!) speech.

I'm sure Solo Flight was good in its day, but the C64's come a long way in six years, and been inundated with many far superior flight sims. You'd have to be a real fan of the genre, *and* on a nostalgia trip to get any enjoyment here. The gameplay's even sparser than the crude graphics - you're liable to fall asleep at the controls.

Options for the Mail Run include night-time flying and a choice of six US states. Your mission (should you choose to accept it!) is to deliver five bags of mail to their destinations in the least amount of time. The screen layout's a little odd: the 3D view is from behind your plane, but below this is the cockpit control panel, showing altitude, airspeed, etc. Points are awarded for good landings and craft handling.

Original producers MicroProse are famed for their great simulations, but Solo Flight isn't one of them. It's just so boring. A lot of time is spent doing nothing whatsoever. A feeling of speed would have been appreciated, the update is far too slow. I realise light aircraft don't travel at supersonic speeds, but the plane seems stationary in mid air.

There's little variation in the different states (the same distant mountain appears in each) and ground objects are very sparse. During night-flying, the screen's completely black (or white if there's low cloud) - you can only see the cockpit dials. This may be an accurate representation, but what's the point? Staring at a few gauges for an entire game is hardly adrenalin-pumping.

There are some neat touches, though: you can look at the terrain from different angles (even though you only see sky, grass and that inevitable mountain), the weather changes, and the instructor's voice is a novel idea (even if it does sound like a dalek in a death-metal band).

If there was an exciting mission to complete, it may have been more fun - delivering letters is hardly the most stimulating task. Flight-sim fans may be kept busy for a while, but I doubt it. It's not horrifically bad, it just doesn't cut the cheese in the right places. If this is an accurate simulation of piloting a plane, I'd prefer my feet to remain firmly on the ground.

Presentation 47%
Dull intro, basic overall look, useful flying tips

Graphics 44%
Sparse scenery with no variation to each section

Sound 49%
Muffled in-game speech, no tunes and very poor FX

Hookability 50%
Quite easy to get into, landing takes lots of practice

Lastability 46%
There are many more interesting sims on the market

Overall 46%